Practices of Infection Control Among Dental Care Providers: A Cross Sectional Study.

Abstract

BackgroundA wide range of microorganisms poses a threat to patients and dental care teams. Implementation of safety guidelines is thus essential to prevent infection in dental clinics.AimTo investigate the level of infection-control practices among dental health-care providers in Jordan.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was distributed to dental care providers from hospitals, academic institutions, and dental centres. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic variables, professional characteristics, and recommended guidelines of infection control.ResultsA total of 190 questionnaires were obtained out of 500 distributed questionnnaires (response rate: 38%). Females accounted for 62.6% of the sample and 64.7% were dentists. The majority was vaccinated against hepatitis B (82.1%) and wash their hands as usual behavior before (66.3%) and after (83.2%) treatment. Approximately 87.9% wear gloves and 78.9% wear masks while performing dental procedures. Autoclave sterilization and puncture-resistant containers for sharp instruments were used by 90.5% and 88.4%, respectively. The majority (81.0%) had protocols for emergency treatment of needle stick or other sharps accidents. High volume evacuation was used in 28.6% of public hospitals compared to 19.4% in academic institutions (P<0.01). In addition, surface barriers for dental unit surfaces were used by 70.2% of private dental clinics, 50% of public hospitals, and 36.1% of academic institutions (P<0.001). Finally, compared to dentists, dental support staff showed low compliance with infection-control guidelines.ConclusionThe overall practice of infection-control measures among the participants is very good. Educational programs and training strategies should be implemented to maximize and enhance the compliance of the dental care providers with infection-control guidelines.